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I will most likely be purchasing a used 2005 S today however I am rather new to the Mini world. This car has roughly 145k on the ticker. Unfortunately I've read several complaints regarding some mechanical issues that appear to be relatively common, this is a bit of concern.
I consider myself fairly well mechanically inclined, having installed motors transmission etc in project cars. Although I realize that Mini's are quite unique in their engineering I would still expect to be able to service the vehicle myself- the more concerning part would be the expense.
Ok. So I ran across some good info on the net and it seems the majority of those issues deal with the strut towers, timing chain, clutch, supercharger rebuild, water and power steering pumps. While it seems the previous owner performed typical maintenance there could certainly be problems around the corner. Any suggestions on what to look for when checking it out would be appreciated!
Also, if anyone has the general cost of performing some of these aforementioned repairs themselves that would be great!
Check out the buyers guide HERE, which gives you the basic essentials to check out first. The 2005 is a great year MCS. Be sure to get a good PPI done (pre purchase inspection) so that you know what you may need to fix before hand. We also have A LOT of great tech articles on our site under MINI > tech info tab at the top. Each article gives you an estimated time and cost of the repair. Those coupled with our parts pricing should entail you to much more manageable cost of repairs. Let me know if you have any questions.
Infinite1 asked how much of that work was done by me. Answer: The supercharger, both p/s pumps, and 2 of the 3 p/s fans were replaced under warranty. The LCA bushings were by an independent mechanic. All the rest by me.
So I just returned from checking out the Mini, attached are a few pics of it. It ran almost like knew, great steering, good power and throttle response. No lights on except the tire pressure due to sensors not being installed in this set of wheels.
The guy seemed pretty straight forward about it, however he has only owned it for roughly 8 months. The history of maintenance beyond this period is relatively unknown. I did put a deposit down on it but will be taking it to a shop before completing the transaction, just would like to put it up on a lift and look around. I would guess bushings and other wear items would be easily inspected.
Last edited by Infinite1; Jan 19, 2016 at 04:29 PM.
I don't think that year needed sensors or has them. I have an 05 R53 and the tire monitoring system is based on ride height (or something like that)...
I have a set of MOMO wheels and tires I use for three seasons that didn't require an actual sensor in the wheel. Pressing the button for a few seconds resets the system.
I consider myself fairly well mechanically inclined, having installed motors transmission etc in project cars. Although I realize that Mini's are quite unique in their engineering I would still expect to be able to service the vehicle myself- the more concerning part would be the expense.
Ok. So I ran across some good info on the net and it seems the majority of those issues deal with the strut towers, timing chain, clutch, supercharger rebuild, water and power steering pumps. While it seems the previous owner performed typical maintenance there could certainly be problems around the corner. Any suggestions on what to look for when checking it out would be appreciated!
Also, if anyone has the general cost of performing some of these aforementioned repairs themselves that would be great!
You'll have no problem doing maintenance on the Mini, it's pretty easy to work on. Sometimes there is just a lot of stuff to take off to get at a part.
Not too many special tools are needed either, you might need to add some torx bits , and the oil filter needs a short 36, a few other ones maybe but nothing too expensive .
Supercharger will be one of the more expensive items if it goes. Figure around $1000. Timing chains aren't really a problem on the r53 but the guides go occasionally. Strut cost comes down to how much you are willing to spend. Power steering pump should be covered by a recall, although I cant remember what the cutoff date is. Clutch cost is less than $500 if you do it yourself. Crank pulley is a little pricey , $300 to $400.
Bushings aren't too expensive, not very fun to do but we have a great resource in mod mini on how to do them. Be sure to check out some of his youtube videos
You'll have no problem doing maintenance on the Mini, it's pretty easy to work on. Sometimes there is just a lot of stuff to take off to get at a part.
Not too many special tools are needed either, you might need to add some torx bits , and the oil filter needs a short 36, a few other ones maybe but nothing too expensive .
Supercharger will be one of the more expensive items if it goes. Figure around $1000. Timing chains aren't really a problem on the r53 but the guides go occasionally. Strut cost comes down to how much you are willing to spend. Power steering pump should be covered by a recall, although I cant remember what the cutoff date is. Clutch cost is less than $500 if you do it yourself. Crank pulley is a little pricey , $300 to $400.
Bushings aren't too expensive, not very fun to do but we have a great resource in mod mini on how to do them. Be sure to check out some of his youtube videos
Awesome! Thanks for the info. A bit surprised there's not a bunch of specialty tools needed like VW's.
I'm hoping it will be a relatively reliable car, it is actually intended to be my gf's daily driver. Our biggest problem is we are performance enthusiasts so a toyota camry doesn't have much appeal . Either way this looks to be an excellent forum with some great people which certainly is appreciated- something I hope to contribute to in the near future.
I'll post updates. We are expecting to pick up it up this weekend.
ps. I love the cost of tires in this size. I have an Infinity with 305/30/19's on the rear...can't afford to burn them up too much.
Welcome to the board. I'm new here as well and in a similar boat. We just bought our first mini, 2005 MCS with 145k miles back in July. We loved it so much, we've since added a second one about a month ago, 2004 MCS with 81k on the clock. Maintenance so far hasn't been too bad This is a great resource. Let us know how it works out.
So I just returned from checking out the Mini, attached are a few pics of it. It ran almost like knew, great steering, good power and throttle response. No lights on except the tire pressure due to sensors not being installed in this set of wheels.
The guy seemed pretty straight forward about it, however he has only owned it for roughly 8 months. The history of maintenance beyond this period is relatively unknown. I did put a deposit down on it but will be taking it to a shop before completing the transaction, just would like to put it up on a lift and look around. I would guess bushings and other wear items would be easily inspected.
Is it just me or is something missing in the last picture? :O
I don't think that year needed sensors or has them. I have an 05 R53 and the tire monitoring system is based on ride height (or something like that)...
I have a set of MOMO wheels and tires I use for three seasons that didn't require an actual sensor in the wheel. Pressing the button for a few seconds resets the system.
Yep, no pressure sensors on the first gen cars. It compares the wheel speeds to each other to see if one is spinning faster to detect a deflated tire. It looks like the strut tower mounts are slightly mushroomed.
Yep, no pressure sensors on the first gen cars. It compares the wheel speeds to each other to see if one is spinning faster to detect a deflated tire. It looks like the strut tower mounts are slightly mushroomed.
I'm surprised that's the method they utilize for the tire pressure, I wouldn't expect that to be overly sensitive.
Yea, I had the same thoughts on the strut tower. Not bad, but something going forward I will likely deal with.
Yea, my r52 tire were down a couple PSI and the tire light comes on. Think i was like at 28 psi and it kicked on. New MINIs from ~2007 have the inboard TPMS system as mandated by the gov't.
Tire pressure warning is done through wheel speed sensors.To reset inflate tires to right pressure,turn key to position 2,hold button down until the light goes out.The values for wheel speeds are remembered after a bit of driving and if one changes the warning light goes on.It seems to take about 6psi low to trigger the warning.Owners manual explains this and lots of other controls.If you don't have one they're available on line if you google it.
I thought run-flats were required to use direct monitoring systems? Guess I was wrong. I know the government mandated pressure sensors in 2008, but I thought all factory run-flats had to have sensors installed too.
Yea, it was around 2008 , tail end of the R52 and about second year in the R56 production, things changed. Would have been simple if all R56 + just had them. I really like the older system better on my R52.
. Either way this looks to be an excellent forum with some great people which certainly is appreciated- something I hope to contribute to in the near future. 
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